Keppapulavu residents demand return of their occupied land

The residents of Keppapulavu marched to the District Secretariat in Mullaitivu where they handed over letters addressed to president Ranil Wickremesinghe and other officials requesting the return of their lands which are occupied by the Sri Lankan military. The residents who met the District Secretary informed him that although some land had been released in the past, many homes, schools, primary health care centres, temples, churches, and even municipal halls remain under military control, impeding their ability to go about their day-to-day lives. They also informed him that many of these...

2nd Lt. Maalathy honoured in Kilinochchi on International Women's Day

To mark International Women's Day, the Kilinochchi District’s Women’s Front of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) organised an event to honour female Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres and recognise the political and social work done by its membership. Floral tributes were laid in honour of the memory of 2nd Lt. Maalathy, the first female fighter of the LTTE to sacrifice her life in the Tamil struggle for liberation. International Women's Day is marked annually on March 8 and celebrates women's achievements whilst also calling for equality as women still face discrimination...

Tamil devotees detained without cause and ill-treated, lawyer tells court

Lawyers representing the eight devotees who were arrested without any warrant during the Shivarathri observances at the Vedukkunaari Temple yesterday said the individuals are being held without charge and have been ill-treated at the time of their arrest. “Their only crime seems to have been chanting Om Namah Shivaya,” their lawyer Sugas Kanagaratnam told reporters outside the district magistrate courts. “They have not violated any laws and the police is yet to even submit a report as to why they were arrested in the first place.” Kanagaratnam told journalists that the case has been adjourned...

Eyes wide shut

As Volker Türk addressed the UN Human Rights Council last week, his message could not have been clearer. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights delivered only an “update on progress” concerning reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. He concluded that little such progress had taken place. Instead, the human rights chief said Sri Lanka had implemented “regressive laws and authoritarian approaches”, whilst the security forces continued to engage in rights abuses. Almost 15 years after the mass atrocities at Mullivaikkal and after decades of continued ethnic conflict, the UN human rights chief echoed what Tamils have repeatedly demanded. Accountability must be delivered and the root causes of the island’s turmoil must be addressed.

Sri Lanka's TID summons former LTTE cadre over Facebook account

Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre and activist Selvanayagam Aravinthan has been summoned for an investigation on March 12 by Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) over a Facebook account. Aravinthan was arrested by Vavuniya police in November 2023 after he questioned army intelligence officers for holding an exhibition opposing Maaveerar Naal. Read more here: Vavuniya police arrest former LTTE cadre on Maaveerar Naal . Aravinthan's summons comes just weeks after Sri Lanka passed the Online Safety Act which has been widely condemned for the risk it poses to...

Tamils in Batticaloa condemn violence and arrests at Vedukkunaari

Tamils in Batticaloa are protesting today to condemn the violence and arrests by Sri Lankan police that disrupted Shivarathri celebrations at the Vedukkunaari Athi Sivan temple on Friday. Protestors outraged by Friday's violence, demonstrated from Batticaloa clock tower to Gandhi park, demanding that Tamils should have the freedom of religion or belief. On Friday, locals gathered at the temple to observe Shivarathri before Sri Lankan riot police arrived and marred the religious event. Although Vavuniya Magistrate Court had ordered that the worship could go ahead, the police arrested eight...

Buddha statue placed in Jaffna removed following outcry

A newly erected Buddha statue near the Chulipuram Chaukkadi Pillaiyar temple in Jaffna has been removed following protests and outcry from residents who feared it could pave the way for the construction of a Buddhist Vihara in the region. The sudden appearance of the statue under a Bo tree by the Pillaiyar temple raised suspicions among locals, who speculated that Sri Lankan navy personnel in the area might be responsible for its placement. Concerned residents demanded an investigation by the Sri Lankan police to uncover who placed the statue and for what purpose. However, scepticism loomed...

Tamil families of disappeared demand justice on International Women's Day

Tamil families of the disappeared staged a protest in Mullaitivu today, marking International Women’s Day as a black day of mourning and demanding answers from the Sri Lankan government. For the eighth consecutive year, these families find themselves in anguish, with no resolution in sight regarding the fate of their loved ones. Led by Mariyasuresh Eswari, Chairperson of the Mullaitivu District Association of the Families of the Disappeared, protesters gathered to voice their frustrations and sorrow. "Our children were abducted in broad daylight, picked up by the army, and vanished into...

Sri Lankan police unleash violence at Vedukkunaari during Shivarathri: MP assaulted, 8 Tamils arrested

The observance of Shivarathri at the Vedukkunaari Hill Athi Sivan temple in Vavuniya North, descended into chaos today (08.03) as police violence marred the religious proceedings. Member of Parliament Selvarajah Kajendren was assaulted by Sri Lankan police, and a further 8 worshippers were arrested during the incident.

British MPs urge Sri Lanka to decriminalise Tamil self-determination

UK Parliamentarians urged the Sri Lankan state to decriminalise the Tamils' right to self-determination at an event last week at Westminster, London, organised by the World Tamil Co-ordinating Committee in association with Tamils for Labour and other British Tamil organisations. International scholars and activists also expressed their solidarity with the Tamil struggle for an independent state at the event.

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